Today, the House of Representatives has passed H.R. 5021, a bill to move about $10 billion into the Highway Trust Fund to prevent a cutback in road construction and transit funding.  If additional money is not transferred to the fund, federal spending on road construction will start being slashed on August 1.  The bill passed today will extend federal highway and transit funding to the spring.  Statement from Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3):

“I’m pleased that we seem to be resolving the funding shortfall without unnecessary politics and posturing.  We should not be cutting construction jobs and stopping projects we know are needed to fix our roads and transit.  That being said, I’m disappointed that we have kicked the can down the road into next year on a more permanent solution to this critical issue.  We should roll up our sleeves and get to work on a long-term bill that provides the level of funding we know our area and our nation need for road construction and transit, and we should be doing this before the end of the year.  We need to get serious about long-term funding solutions instead of searching the couches for change every few months or years.”